Hairpin dispenser



April 1954 B. STEINBERG HAIRPIN DISPENSER Filed Feb. 20, 1950 FIGJ.

INVENTOR. 6677'? STE/H8626 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 20, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIRPIN DISPENSER Betty Steinberg, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 20, 1950, Serial No. 145,266

7 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to an improved dispenser for hairpins, bobby pins, paper clips and the like, the dispenser shown herein being an improvement in the dispensers shown and claimed in my copending applications, Serial No. 41,930, filed August 2, 1948, now Patent No. 2,544,114 issued March 6, 1951, for Hairpin Dispenser, and Serial No. 86,795, filed April 11, 1949, now Patent No. 2,602,720 issued July 8, 1952, for Hairpin Dispenser.

It is desirable that articles such as hairpins, bobby pins and the like be maintained in a predetermined position, being a readily accessible one, and of such nature that there is little likelihood that the appearance of a womans dressing table might be impaired in day to day use of such articles, and such that the necessity of searching for such lost pins is greatly reduced.

The dispenser as shown and claimed herein is generally of the type shown and claimed in my above mentioned copending patent applications, and incorporates small magnets associated with hooks which are arranged to dispense hairpins, bobby pins and the like from a pile in which they are randomly disposed.

A feature of the present dispenser is the inmagnetic construction, another of the important a 1 features of the present invention being that conventional present day hairpins and bobby pins may be dispensed from my improved dispenser.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement whereby the aforesaid desirable results may be obtained.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser of this character which incorporates magnetic means associated with mechanical hooks for dispensing hairpins but which does not require for its operation specially magnetized or fabricated hairpins or bobby pins, the dispenser being effective to dispense hairpins, bobby pins and the like of standard wire construction.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved dispenser arranged to dispense in orderly fashion hairpins, bobby pins, and the like disposed in random fashion.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved dispenser of this character which has only one movable part, namely, a magnetic structure movable between two positions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved dispenser of this character which requires a minimum number of movable elements and which avoids the necessity of a movable stripping element to strip the magnetizable objects from the magnetic structure after such objects have been extracted from a compartment.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved dispenser of the character described, characterized by the fact that the direction of the magnetic forces between the magnetic structure and the magnetizable object is such that the magnetizable object may be stripped from the magnetic structure on the development of a relatively small frictional force between the magnetizable object and a member relatively stationary to the magnetic stnucture.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of an improved dispenser embodying the features of the present invention,

Figure 2 is a view in front elevation taken in the direction indicated by the arrows Z2 in Figure 1, and with a forward portion of the dispenser broken away to show some internal structure,

Figures 3 and 4 are views taken on corresponding lines 3-3 and 4-4 in Figure 2, it being noted that Figure 3 is a sectional view whereas Figure 4 is a view in plan elevation of the dispenser,

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to the sectional view shown in Figure 3, but with the magnetic extractor shown moved in its upward position and correspondingly with its control lever in depressed position, the upward position of such control lever being indicated by dotted lines; Figure 5 also showing in dotted lines the pivoted hairpin tray in a convenient outward position wherein it is placed when, for example, it is desired to refill the pivoted tray,

Figures 6 and 7 are views taken on corresponding lines 65 and 'i-'! in Figure 3, it being noted that Figure 7 corresponds also to a view taken as indicated by the lines 1-4 in Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the pivoted hairpin tray or compartment storage bin shown in the previous figures, and v Figure 9 is a perspective view of the magnetic extractor which is shown in its lowermost position in Figure 3 and in its uppermost position in Figure 5.

The hairpin dispenser operates to dispense articles, for example, hairpins I6 randomly disposed in the compartment storage tray II in orderly fashion upon first pressing downwardly on the spring biased manually operable control lever IE, to move such lever 12 from its uppermost position shown in Figure 3 to its lowermost position shown in Figure 5, and thereafter releasing such control lever I2 to allow the control lever I2 and actuated extractor I4 to return to its initial position under the influence of the coil tension spring I5.

The dispenser comprises essentially a stationary base 20 with a pair of parallel upstanding walls 2|, 22 (Figure 4) which have guide members 2IA, 22A thereon respectively to provide guided movement of the magnetic extractor I4, which is movable in a direction inclined slightly with respect to the vertical. The extractor is is normally biased downwardly by the coil tension spring I having one of its ends attached, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, to a suitable abutment MA such as, for example, a rivet, and its other end attached to the stationary pin 28A which may either be afllxed to the base or which may comprise simply an elongated rod having a length greater than the diameter of the hole 265B in the base 20 through which the spring I5 passes. In the latter case, the rod A is maintained in position since the spring I5 is prestressed at all times to cause the rod 20A to be pressed against the underside of the base 26.

This extractor I4 is linked to the control lever I2, so that movement of the control lever I2 results in movement of the extractor Id. The particular means whereby control lever i2 is linked to the extractor I4 is of the following construction.

The lever having the general reference numeral I2 includes a manually engageable member IZA (Figure 4) having its opposite ends affixed to one end of lever members I23, IEC respectively (Figure 4) the other ends of the lever members I23, I20 having, as shown in Figure l, clearance or lost motion slots i 2D through which pins 24 pass. The pins 24 pass also through clearance slots 25, 25 (Figure 1) in the supports 2 I, 22, and are anchored in the extractor I l. These lever members I23, 120 are pivoted about pivot pins 21, 28, which pass through a point intermediate the ends of such lever members I23, I20, so

that downward movement of the lever member I2 results in upward movement of the extractor I4.

The magnetic extractor I4, shown in perspective in Figure 9, has mounted thereon a plurality of Alnico magnets encased in cylindrical housings 30A. These housings 30A, in turn, are cemented or afiixed in other similar manner to the top plate 303. This top plate 393 overhangs the front plate 300 a small distance to provide a ledge 30E. It is noted that the magnets 30 and their casings 30A terminate at the edge of such ledge 30E with each one of the magnets 30 adjacent a hook 32. These hooks 32 are formed by triangularly shaped pieces 34 of plastic material which is cemented both to the top plate 393 and the front plate 300, with a portion of such triangular piece extending forwardly of the front edge of the ledge 30E, thereby efiectively forming a projecting hook or abutment which, as explained in greater detail hereinafter, is in a position to engage and to carry a hairpin upwardly after such hairpin is first attracted by the corresponding magnet 30.

The storage bin or receptacle II is shown in perspective in Figure 8, and includes simply a compartmented rectangular box with a handle member IIA thereon. This rectangular box II is pivotally mounted bymeans of pins ABA and MA on the stationary upwardly extending plates El, 22, so as to swing from the full line position in Figure 5 to the dotted line position. It is noted that in the full line position the upwardly extending wall of the box I I is inclined slightly away from the vertical to allow hairpins I0 disposed therein to gravitate downwardly against its backside IIC. It is noted further that such backside I I0, preferably of plastic material, is routed out at I IE to provide a clearance slot for the triangularly shaped pieces 34 on the extractor I 4 in its lowermost position, so that, as shown in Figures 3, '7 and 9 the forward edge of the hook or abutment member 32 projects slightly forward of the interior face of the back wall IIC of the container II, the distance which such abutment 32 projects being slightly greater than the diameter of the wire forming a hairpin I0.

It will be appreciated that while the hairpin storage box I I is formed with four compartments and with a corresponding number of magnets 39 and associated hook or abutment members 32, the precise number may be increased or decreased, since the method of extraction does not depend upon any particular number of compartments.

In operation of the device, the hairpins III are disposed in the various compartments of the pivoted storage receptacl I I, which may be pivoted outwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figure 5 for convenient filling of the same.

'member I2. 7 When the hairpins II) are in the position shown in Figure 3, the one adjacent the wall IIC is drawn upwardly due to magnetic attraction produced by the magnet 39, and such hairpin in its travel upwardly engages and passes over the triangular piece 3!; which is preferably triangular to oiTer a limited amount of resistance to the motion of the hair pin which at this time is moved solely under the influence of magnetism to a position above the hook or abutment 32 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 6. In its movement under the influence of magnetism, the hair pin is drawn upwardly through the restricted opening AI (Figure 7) It is noted that the vertical component of the magnetic force set up by the magnet is sufficient to attract a'pin and to draw it upwardly until it abuts the said magnet, such vertical component of the magnetic force Ebeing sufiiciently large in intensity to overcome any resistance offeredto such movement by the portions 32 and the sides of theop-ening M. Then, upon subsequent upward movement of the extractor I4, the magnetic attraction forces exerted on the hairpin may be such to cause the hairpin to rise upwardly with the extractor I4 with the hair pin clinging to the magnet 38 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 6. However, such magnetic forces need not be very large since even though it were insufficient to maintain the hair pin in clinging position and the hair pin slid on the magnet face when the extractor I4 is moved upwardlv, the U-bend portion of the attracted hairpin i8 is engaged by and carried upwardly by the hooked portion or abutment 32, referred to also herein as abutment means 32. In the event that more than one hairpin is attracted and drawn upwardly through the aperture 4! by the magnet 30 since, the abutment 32 projects a distance to accommodate only one hairpin, the abutment 32 is capable of lifting only one hairpin at a time. To further assure the extraction or dispensing of only one hairpin, the stationary cross piece 40, afiixed at its opposite ends to the stationary vertical supporting members 2|, 22, is provided with rectangularly shaped apertures ll of a width only slightly greater than the diameter of the wire forming the hairpin l0.

Besides performing this function, the apertured portions 4! serve also to frictionally contact the extracted hairpin to maintain such hairpin in its uppermost position after the extractor is allowed to move downwardly under the influence of tension spring I5. In other words, the Width and length of the rectangular apertured portion 4! serves to assure the passage therethrough of only one hairpin at a time, but the length of such apertured portion H is such that after the bowed portion or U-bend portion of the hairpin it passes therethrough the remaining portion of the hairpin, in its passage through the apertured portion 4!, resiliently engages the walls forming such apertured portion 4| to prevent a lifted hairpin from falling downwardly back into the receptacle H. Also, to insure the retention of the extracted hairpin in its elevated position after the extractor M is allowed to move downwardly, there is providedl a horizontally extending ledge or shelf I iH on the back surface I I0, such shelf llI-I being spaced such that the free ends of the extracted hairpin abut the ledge H to prevent its downward movement, it being noted that the width of the 1 shelf NH is somewhat greater than the diameter of the wire of which the hairpin is made.

It is noted that the device described depends for its operation on the production of magnetic forces between the magnet 39 and the U-bend or bowed portion of the article Hi. It is necessary that these magnetic forces result in th movement of the hairpin l0 from its full line position shown in Figure 6 to its dotted line position therein, wherein the hairpin directly contacts the end of the magnet 39.

It is observed that the direction of magnetization is in the longitudinal direction of the magnet 30 and that such direction of the magnetization is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the magnetic extractor [4. It is observed that this magnet Sll is desirably of Alnico to produce high magnetic forces for the intended result. Because these magnetic forces are relatively high, there is a tendency for the hairpin ID to be attracted and maintain against the underside of the ledge 35E. This tendency, however, is overcome due to the particular configuration of the abutment means 32, which presents an upwardly inclined cam surface to a hairpin as it moves upwardly and over such abutment means 32.

Furthermore, while the magnet 31! is of sumcient strength to produce this described movement, the magnet 30 is not sufficiently strong 3 to cause a hairpin to be moved an appreciable distance after the magnetic structure i4 is moved downwardly from its position shown in Figure 5. In other words, the frictional forces developed between the hairpin l0 and the walls of apertured portion 4| is greater, in the raised position of the hairpin, than the forces exerted in the same direction between the hairpin l6 and the magnet 30, with the result that the hairpin i9 is maintained in its elevated position upon subsequent downward movement of the magnetic structure it from its elevated position shown in Figure 5.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a hairpin dispenser of the character described for hairpins having a U-bend therein connecting legs thereof, comprising: a compartment within which magnetizable objects are placed, said compartment being disposed adjacent a member having an apertured portion through which said objects may be passed in single file, a magnetic structure mounting a mag net cooperating with said U-bend and movable in a predetermined path to a position adjacent said apertured portion through which said objects may be withdrawn by the magneto attraction of said magnetic structure, abutment means on said magnetic structure over which said U-bend is drawn by said magnetic structure, and said apertured portion having walls engageable with said legs.

2. A dispenser of the character described for magnetizable objects having a U-bend therein, comprising: a compartment for the storage of said magnetizable objects, a member having an aperture of dimensions commensurate with the cross-section of one of said objects through which said objects are adapted to pass, one at a time, a magneticstructure mounting a magnet movable from an elevated position to a lowered position adjacent said aperture to attract and to lift through said aperture said magnetizable objects, abutment means mounted for movement with said magnetic structure, said abutment means being disposed between said magnet and said compartment and adapted to engage and to support one of said magnetizable objects at its U-bend.

3. A dispenser of the character described having a compartment for the storage of magnetizable objects with a U-bend in each object, a member having an aperture of cross-sectional dimensions commensurate with the cross-sectional dimension of one of said objects through which said objects are adapted to pass, one at a time, a magnetic structure mounting a magnet movable from an elevated position to a lowered position adjacent said aperture to attract and to lift an object through said aperture, and abutment means movable with said magnetic structure, adapted to engage the U-bend and to carry upwardly a magnetizable object originally attracted by said magnet.

4. In a dispenser of the character described having a compartment for the storage of magnetizable hairpin objects with a U-bend in each object connecting the legs thereof, a member having an aperture of cross-sectional dimensions commensurate with the cross-sectional dimension of one of said objects through which said objects are adapted to pass, one at a time, a magnetic structure mounting a magnet movable from an elevated position to a lowered position adjacent said aperture to attract and to lift an object through said aperture, abutment means movable with said magnetic structure adapted to engage the U-bend and to carry upwardly a magnetizable object originally attracted by said magnet, said aperture having walls thereof adapted to frictionally engage the legs of said magnetizable object to maintain it in elevated position against gravity forces and also against magnetic forces produced by said magnet.

5. A dispenser of the character described having a compartment for the storage of magnetizable objects with a U-bend therein connecting legs thereof, a member having an aperture of crosssectional dimensions commensurate with the cross-sectional dimension of one of said objects through which said objects are adapted to pass, one at a time, a magnetic structure mounting a magnet movable from an elevated position to a lowered position adjacent said aperture to cooperate magnetically with said U-bend to attract and to lift an object through said aperture, and the wall of said aperture being engageable with said legs and effective when said magnetic structure is in its uppermost position to allow said magnetic structure to again descend to its lowered position with the object remaining in substantially its uppermost position.

6. A dispenser of the character described for magnetizable objects having a U-bend therein connecting legs thereof, comprising: a compartment within which magnetizable objects are placed, a member having an apertured portion of cross-sectional dimensions commensurate with the cross-sectional dimension of one of said objects through which said objects may be passed in single file, a magnetic structure mounting a magnet cooperating magnetically with said U-bend and movable from a normal position adjacent said apertured portion through which said objects may be withdrawn by the magnetic attraction 'of said magnetic structure on said U-bend, and means engageable with said legs and effective upon movement of said magnetic structure from a retracted position to said normal position for removing the magnetizable objects therefrom.

7. A dispenser of the character described, comprising: a receptacle for the storage of magnetizable hairpin objects with a U-bend therein connecting the legs thereof, a member having an aperture of cross-sectional dimensions commensurate with the cross-sectional dimension of one of said objects through which said objects are adapted to pass, one at a time, a magnetic structure mounting a magnet movable from an elevated position to a lowered position adjacent said aperture to attract and to lift through said aperture said magnetizable objects, said magnet being magnetized in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement ofsaid magnetic structure, abutment means movable with said magnetic structure and disposed between said magnet and said aperture to engage said U-bend, said abutment means having a portion thereon engageable with the -U-bend of said ob ject with a dimension slightly greater than the effective width of said object to thereby assure contact with only one of said objects, said abutment means comprising an upwardly inclined cam member to assure movement of an object over said abutment into engagement with said magnet, and said aperture having walls cooperating with the legs of an object partially withdrawn therefrom to develop frictional forces therebetween in the longitudinal direction of said object greater than the forces of attraction between said object and said magnet in said longitudinal direction whereby said object may be stripped from the magnetic structure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 787,623 Hood Apr. 18, 1905 2,383,207 Morrell Aug. 21, 1945 arera 

